Link arrangement for window actuator



July 2, 1957 'A. F. LICKTEIG, JR., ETAI- 2,797,917

LINK ARRANGEMENT FOR wINnow ACTUATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1955 s She ets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TORS A/berz Fume/y A 7' TO/P/VE' Y July 2, 1957 A..F. LICKTEIG, JR.. ETAL 2,797,917

LINK ARRANGEMENT FOR wxuoow ACTUATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' 'Illlll INVENTORX ATTORNEY y 1957 A. F. LICKTEIG, JR,, ETAL 2,797,917

LINK ARRANGEMENT FOR wmnow ACTUATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 18, 1955 ML! N p 0? L ff. 0? 4% w 2,797,917 Patented July 2, 1957 ice LINK ANGEMENT FOR WINDOW ACTUATOR Albert E. Lickteig, Jr., and Albert F. Lickteig, Sn, Grand Rapids, Mich; said Lickteig, Jr., assignor to said Lickteig, Sr.

Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,181

Claims. (Cl. 268-105) This invention relates to an actuating mechanism for a swinging type window. More particularly, this invention relates to an actuating mechanism for an awning type window unit.

Swing type windows are extremely old in the art. Various and difierent mechanisms have been devised for opening and closing the windows and locking them in place either in the closed or open position. None of these mechanisms have been completely satisfactory either because the difficulty in opening and, closing the window or because of the complicated mechanisms associated with the better assemblies. Especially lacking in the window industry is a mechanism for opening and closing awning type windows of the type adapted to swing upwardly similarly to the position of an open awning.

An object of this invention is to provide an actuating mechanism for opening and closing a swinging type window with a positive action.

Another object of this invention is to provide such mechanism for opening and closing swinging type winclows with the minimum of elfort.

Still another object of this invention is to provide such mechanisms which are simple, rigid and easily manipulated.

Another object of this invention is to provide actuating mechanisms for opening and closing swinging type windows, such mechanism having means whereby the sash of the window can be quickly detached from the mechanism for repair, cleaning or any other purpose.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a locking means for more positively locking the window in tightly closed position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for actuating swinging type windows, such mechanism including a radius arm for guiding and supporting the window and a toggle linkage for opening or closing the window.

Other objects of this invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

Fig. l is an interior side elevational view of the actuating mechanism in closed position.

Fig. 2 is an interior side elevational view of the actuating mechanism in partially open position.

Fig. 3 is an interior side elevational view of the actuating mechanism with the window completely open.

Fig. 4 is an interior side elevational view of the actuating mechanism showing the locking mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an interior, side elevational view similar to Fig. 3 with the window open, showing the locking end of the assembly.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, cross sectional view taken along the plane VIVI of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, cross sectional view taken along the plane VII-VII of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, oblique view of the free end of the sash showing the cooperating pin for the locking mechanism.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, oblique view of the slidable mounting means for the pivoted end of the window.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged, cross sectional view taken along the plane IX-IX of Fig. 2.

in executing the objects and purposes of this invention, there has been provided an actuating unit for swinging type window units in which the window units are primarily supported by a radius arm and actuated by a toggle linkage assembly. Means are provided for opening and closing the toggle assembly. One end of the window is slidably mounted inthe frame for the window unit. Thus, when the toggle linkage is opened or closed, said end slidably moves in the frame and the window pivots about the freely pivoted, rigid, radius arm. The radius arm is adapted to support substantially the entire weight of the window, thus taking the weight off the toggle linkage. As a result, actuation of the toggle linkage requires a small amount of efiort and the window unit can be opened very easily. This mechanism also includes a locking lever for locking the window closed.

The terms inward and outward have been used frequently throughout this description. In the use of such words, inward shall be taken to mean toward the window frame as shown in Fig. 2 and outward away from said frame.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a window frame having stiles 13 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6) and 26 (Fig. 5) in which the window sash 11 is adapted to fit.

The top end of the sash 11 is slidably mounted on and between the stiles 13 and 26 of the frame 10. This is accomplished by the hanger assembly 9 (Fig. 9), each of which includes a nylon roller, 14 riding in the section of U-shaped channel constituting the guide track 16. The rollers 14 are rotatably mounted on the ofiset top ends 17 of the plates 18. The plates 18 are secured by screws 19 to the sides of the sash 11. The U-shaped guide tracks 16 are mounted to the stiles 13 and 26 of the frame 10 by screws 29 or any other suitable means. The rollers 14 are adapted to roll within the tracks 16 and guide the top end of the sash 11 as the. bottom end of the window is swung by the actuating mechanism described herein.

The actuating mechanism 8 for the window sash 11 includes the freely rotatable radius arms or bars 24 (Fig. 2) and 28 (Fig. 5) and the toggle linkage 25. The toggle linkage 25 and the radius bar 24 are supported on the stile 13 by bracket 21 secured by screws 29 to the stile 13. At the other stile 26 (Fig. 5), the bracket 22, secured by screws 27 to the side stile, supports the radius bar 28. As will be describedhereinafter, the opening of the toggle linkage 25 causes the top end or edge of the sash 11 to slide downwardly as the window sash 11 swings outwardly. During this entire operation the radius arms 24 and 28 bear the major portion of the weight of the sash 11. I

The toggle linkage is opened and closed by a pinion and worm gear assembly mounted on the bracket 21 (Figs. 3 and 6). BracketZl is secured to stile 13 by screws 29 and includes the inwardly extending flange 30 on one side and the. L-shaped bracket forming a journal ear 31 on its other side. Bracket 21. has a boss 32 (Fig. 6) to the center of which is firmly secured the stud 34 on which the pinion 35 is rotatably mounted. The. stud 34 has a terminal shoulder 37 to prevent the pinion 35 from sliding off.

Pinion gear 35 is driven by worm gear 36 journaled in and between the flange 30 and journal ear 31. Handle 67 is provided to rotate worm gear 36.

The pinion 35 is fabricated as two pieces (Fig. 6) and is secured to the arm 38 of the toggle linkage 25. One-half 39 of the pinion 35 has three lugs 41 extending from its inside face a suificient distance to pass through corresponding holes 40 in the other pinion half 42. The lugs 41 are peened over to secure the two halves 39 and 42 together.

Both halves of the pinion have similar recesses of a size and shape that together they will snuggly receive the end of the inner link 38 of the toggle linkage 25. The pinion half 39 also has a lug 43 extending into the arm receiving recess in its inner face. This lug is adapted to extend through a corresponding hole 44 at the end of the inner link or arm 38 of the toggle linkage 25. The arm 38 which also has an opening for receiving the stud 34 is thus rigidly secured to the pinion 35 and is rotatable therewith. The radius arm 24 has an aperture 45 adapted to receive the stud 34 so that the radius arm 24 is freely rotatable around the stud 34.

The inner link 38 and the outer link or arm 46 are pivoted together at the knee of the pin 65. The radius arm 24 is offset at 33 (Fig. to provide clearance of the toggle linkage when the mechanism is closed. The other radius arm 28 has no offset.

The radius bar 24 and the outer arm 46 of the toggle linkage are both rotatably secured at their outer ends to the anchor bar 47. The anchor bar 47 has a pair of studs 48 and 49 to which the outer link or arm of 46 and the radius bar 24 are respectively pivotally connected.

The anchor bar 47 has a pair of slots 50, one adjacent each end. Each of the slots is of keyhole shape with an enlarged end for reception of the head of the attachment screw 51. The screws 51 are secured to the side 12 of the sash. This configuration of slots 50 permits the screws to enter the wide portion and be slid into the narrow portion. The screws 51, upon sliding into the narrow portion, are tightened to securely but detachably lock the anchor bar 47 to the sash 11. The length of the anchor bar 47 and its position on the sash 11 determines the fully opened position of the sash 11. Either by relocating the anchor bar on the sash or by substituting an anchor bar of a different length, the fully open position can be changed.

Preferably, the position of the anchor bar 47 is such that the window is at an angle of approximately 60 degrees when fully opened. This provides an awning type window which will admit a substantial portion of the potential air flow of the window opening but which, should it rain, will tend to deflect the splatter of the rain outwardly. It also provides a sash position which is highly stable in the event of extremely high winds such as are experienced in a hurricane.

At the other side stile 26 of the window 10 (Figs. 4 and 5) there is only provided the radius bar 28 identical to the bar 24 except for the oifset. It is pivotally secured at its inner end to the stud pin 52 which has an enlarged inner portion around which is coiled the counter-balance spring 53. The counter-balance spring 53 has one end 63 bearing against the flange 68. The portion coiled about the stud 52 is between the plate 22 and the arm 28 .The other end 64 of the spring 53 is hooked around the radius bar 28. Thus, the spring 53 is placed under tension when the window is open and tends to bias the window closed and assist in the. closing of the window.

The other end of the radius bar 28 is secured to the anchor bar 54 which is similar in design to the anchor bar 47. The anchor bar 54 includes a pair of keyhole shaped slots 55 adjacent each end and one stud 56 to which the radius bar 28 is pivotally connected. Each of the slots 55 has an enlarged portion for reception of the head of an attachment screw 57. Screws 57 are secured to the side 58 of the sash and, when the anchor bar 54 is moved so that the screws enter the narrow portion of the slots 55, screws 57 may be tightened to securely but detachably lock the anchor bar 54 to the side 58 of the sash 11. A locking pin 62 (Figs. 5 and 8) is fixedly secured to the anchor bar 54 for purposes described more thoroughly hereinafter.

A stud pin 52 is secured to the bracket plate 22 which includes the flange 68 extending inwardly from the stile 26 of the Window frame 10. Flange 68 is designed to conceal from observation from within the building the mechanism mounted on the bracket. The flange 68 is slotted to permit passage therethrough of a locking lever 59.

The means for locking the window closed includes the locking lever 59 pivoted on stud pin 69 and adapted to co-operate with the pin 62 of the window sash 11 to pull the window to entirely closed position. The lever 59 has a hooked end 60 with the rounded protrusion 61. The protrusion 61 serves two purposes. First, it serves as a cam that rides against the pin 62, pulling the window inwardly beyond the position shown in Fig. 4. This is permitted by the play in the Weatherstripping. After protrusion 61 rides over the pin 62, it serves as a stop, preventing disengagement of lever 59 from the pin 62. The resiliency of the Weatherstripping assures positive bearing engagement of the pin against the lever.

The sash may be of any suitable material such as wood, metal or plastic. The various components of the actuating mechanism may be of any suitable material. An example of a satisfactory material is aluminum.

Operation When the sash 11 is in closed position, it will be best seen in Fig. 1 that the toggle linkage 25 is not entirely closed. This is desirable to facilitate the initiation of the opening action of the window. Upon release of the locking mechanism by pivoting the locking lever 59 upwardly, the sash is released as the end 60 is pivoted downwardly to disengage the pin 62. The protrusion 61 of lever 59 moves past the pin 62 when lever 59 is pivoted. In so doing, the protrusion 61 is permitted to cam over the pin 62 due to the play in the Weatherstripping (not shown).

After the locking mechanism has been released, the handle 67 is turned clockwise, causing the worm gear 36 to rotate the pinion 35. Rotation of pinion 35 in a counterclockwise direction rotates the inner link or arm 38 of the toggle linkage 25. This opens the toggle linkage 25, causing the lower end of the sash 11 to swing outwardly from the frame 10. The rollers 14 on the upper end of the sash 11 ride downwardly in the guide track 16. At the same time, the freely rotatable radius bars 24 and 28 support the sash 11 and are rocked outwardly as the window opens. In the maximum open position (Fig. 3) of the toggle linkage 25, the mechanism is locked by the inner and outer links 38 and 46. This locking results from the inner and outer links 36 and 38 becoming aligned or reaching a dead center. In this position, no amount of force applied to the sash will cause it to close. During the outward swinging of the sash 11, the weight of the sash is to some extent counter-balanced by the counter-balance spring 53 which tends to bias the radius bar 28 inwardly.

Since the sash is actually moved only by a force applied at one end, the sash has a tendency to twist. The spring 53, by its application of force to the radius arm 28, eliminates this twisting tendency since it applies a force largely equal to the force applied by the toggle linkage. This spring force is applied at the opposite end of the sash so the sash does not become a means of transmitting torque.

With the links of the toggle assembly aligned on dead center, the window is positively and automatically locked in open position. It can only be closed by an action which positively breaks the knee of the toggle linkage 25 to initiate its closing movement. In this fully open position, the window is proof against unintentional closing under extreme conditions such as would be experienced in a hurricane or adjacent a tornado. The pinion and worm gear arrangement, due to frictional forces, also contributes to holding the sash open especially when in partially open position.

The point of attachment of the radius arm 24 and 38 to the sash with respect to the upper and lower edges of the sash is important. This point is located as close as possible to the center line of gravity of the sash whereby the weight of the sash is almost balanced about the radius arm. This arrangement imposes a substantial portion of the weight of the sash upon the radius arm. Thus, the work which must be done by the toggle assembly 25 to effect movement of the window is but a small fraction of that which is normally required of window actuating toggle assemblies. By relieving the toggle of the major portion of the sashs weight, the actual work energy applied to the toggle is made available for easy actuation of the sash itself. 1

The balancing of the sash about the radius bars 24 and 28 produces other desirable effects. It helps to stabilize the window in any of the several open positions. The tendency of the sash to urge the toggle assembly 25 to close becomes practically negligible. This reduces the strain on the toggle assembly 25 and on the pinion and worm gear arrangement. This is particularly helpful when the sash is in maximum open position. The position of arms 24 and 28 also substantially reduces the effort necessary to operate the pinion and worm gear arrangement shown. Thus, binding between the engaged parts of the worm gear 36 and the pinion is substantially eliminated in the winding of the window outwardly and inwardly by means of the handle 67. This makes it possible to use the thinner materials for the components of the mechanism, thus reducing initial cost. Worm and pinion combinations may be used which do not require close machining or precise tolerances. The wear attendant repeated use is also materially reduced.

Preferably, the radius bars 24 and 28 are connected to the sash 11 slightly above the center line of gravity in order that the top end of the sash 11 will tend to be pivoted upwardly about the pivotal connection 49 and 56 between the sash 11 and radius bars 24 and 28, respectively. This arrangement facilitates easy operation of the entire device and tends to eliminate frictional binding of the roller 14 against the sides of the guide track 16.

The mechanism is such that it may be completely assembled at the factory and shipped ready for installation in a window. The plates 21 and 22, together with the attached links, arms and anchor plates, may be secured to the stiles. The plates 18 are mounted on the sash and the tracks 16 secured to the stiles. The window is then installed by slipping the rollers 14 into the track 16 and sliding the screws 51 and 57 into the narrow portions of the openings 50 and 55, respectively. Upon tightening of the screws 51 and 57, the window is fully installed. Thereafter, the sash may be removed simply by loosening the screws 51 and 57 and slidably detaching the anchor bars. The hanger fitting 9 may be disengaged by sliding the guide rollers 14 out of the lower end of the guide track 16.

While this invention has been described as applied to an awning type window which is pivoted about a horizontal axis, it will be recognized that it may be applied to acasement type sash which is adapted to pivot about a vertical axis. In this latter case, brackets 21 and 22 are attached one to each of the so-called header and still (not shown) of the window frame. Tracks 16 are also attached to such header and sill in corresponding position to that shown in the drawings. To ease the operation of the sash when so mounted, a dome-like head of nylon or similar material may be inserted in the ends of the rollers 14 to slidably support the ends of the sash. In this type of arrangement the principle remains substantially the same, only the orientation of the mechanism is changed.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be recognized that various modifications may be made. Each of these modifications are to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. The combination with a window frame having vertical stiles and a window sash therefore having vertical side edges and horizontal top and bottom edges, of an actuating mechanism comprising: means for connecting the top edge of said window to said stiles for vertical sliding movement, a radius bar having its lower end pivotally connected to one of said stiles and its upper end pivotally connected to a side of said window sash near the center of gravity thereof, a toggle linkage having one end pivotally connected to said one of the stiles and its other end pivotally connected to said side of the sash near the bottom thereof and means for opening and closing said toggle linkage.

2. The elements of claim 1 in combination in which said toggle linkage is so proportioned that the two links thereof will be in alignment when the sash is fully open.

3. The elements of claim 1 in combination, in which the ends of the radius bar and toggle linkage which are pivotally connected to said stile are both connected to the same pivot pin which connects them to the stile.

4. The elements of claim 1 in combination combined with a like radius bar similarly connected to the other stile and to the other side of the sash and a spring acting upon said like radius bar and biased to assist in closing the sash.

5. The elements of claim 4 in which said like radius bar is pivotally connected at one end to an anchor plate which is attached to the side of the sash and is pivotally connected at its other end to a bracket which is attached to the stile, a locking pin attached to and projecting from said anchor bar, a locking lever pivotally connected to said bracket, said locking lever having a hooked end in position to engage said locking pin when the sash is in closed position, said hooked end having a convex cam portion acting to ride over said locking pin when the lever is pivoted to locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

